


Renewed Determination

by SinzutheGreat



Series: Hopetale [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Asriel Dreemurr Lives, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route - "I want to stay with you.", SAVED Asriel Dreemurr, Undertale Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 22:16:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8465047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinzutheGreat/pseuds/SinzutheGreat
Summary: It's been some time since Asriel returned to the Surface. Frisk spends some time reflecting on this "happy ending".





	

**Author's Note:**

> So, at first, this was basically going to be an exposition dump so that I would have less to establish when I wrote more substantial installments. Somewhere, it turned into a bit of a character piece. Take it as you will.

One month. It had been one month since Asriel appeared on the Surface, tired and carrying a soul with him. But even a whole month later, Frisk could still remember that night like it just happened.

It was a Saturday, and a pretty uneventful one at that. No shenanigans going on with Sans and Papyrus, no magic training with Undyne or Toriel, not even something that needed Frisk to be the ambassador to humanity like they said they would. They were about to turn in for the night, when they heard their parents breaking into tears downstairs.

To say Frisk was surprised would be an understatement, as would saying they were overjoyed. It was hard for them to enjoy a happy ending when someone they wanted more than anything to call a friend was suffering. More times than once, they considered RESETTING and trying again, to look for some clue or answer they missed before. But every time, they knew it wouldn't be for Asriel. It would just be for themselves, for their own curiosity. If this was different... If that didn't happen... If something went a different direction... Maybe things would change.

And that was the very thing they had fought so hard to stop.

Now, they could rest easy. All of their friends had their happy endings. The Dreemurrs were together again, Papyrus was finally popular, Undyne was breaking as many world records as she could, Alphys was helping humans and monsters alike with her inventions, and Mettaton had taken his place among humanity's stars and idols. Sans... was still Sans, but Frisk didn't think there was much they could do for him, aside from not RESETTING.

Everyone was perfectly happy. There was nothing more for them to fix.

There were some problems, of course, but none that weren't expected. It had been four months since monsters returned to the Surface, yet there were still humans who didn't want them. It wasn't nearly as bad as the first few weeks, but there was still a ways to go. That's why Frisk agreed to be the ambassador, after all. Although they could do without all the attention that position brought.

That just made Frisk appreciate being home in Newer Home (Asgore's naming skills were lackluster as the stories said) even more. No blinding cameras, no crowds to wade through, no questions they didn't want to answer, and all of their friends just a short walk away.

"Hey, Frisk?" Asriel's voice pulled them out of their reminiscence. "How come the trees are turning red?"

"...Um..." It didn't occur to Frisk that there weren't seasons in the Underground. They tried their best to explain those.

"Huh. So the Surface is always changing?" Asriel looked out a window, and smiled. "I like that. It's way better than living the same thing over and over."

Frisk nodded in agreement. Their own time spent looping through SAVES and RESETS was surreal enough; They couldn't imagine what it was like for their brother, spending years trapped in an endless cycle. Both were glad to be in an unpredictable, ever-evolving world.

"...Do you ever think about going back, Frisk?"

That question came out of nowhere. Frisk shrugged in response. "...Sometimes."

"Same here." Asriel looked at the soul sitting neatly in his locket (Dr. Alphys had made him one out of the same crystal as the soul-holders, at his parents' request). "I... I always wondered why I could only go back so far. Why I couldn't go back to before Chara... you know... And a part of me still wants to."

In a quick motion, Frisk slid from their end of the room to Asriel's, and gave him a small hug. They told him that they'd think about RESETTING to save him, and why they never went through with it.

"What?" The monster laughed a little. "Frisk, come on. Do you want me to cry again?" He returned the hug. "...I appreciate the thought, but I'm glad you didn't. And not because I'm here now. You worked so hard to get everyone up here... I couldn't take that away from you."

Frisk smiled a little, and thanked Asriel. They weren't sure if he would be alright with those thoughts they'd had. It was reassuring to know for certain that he understood.

One month. It had been one month since Frisk's brother came home. The day had only begun, and they couldn't wait to see what would happen.


End file.
